COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The mission of ASU's Writing Programs is to introduce students to the importance of writing in the work of the university and to develop their critical reading, thinking and writing skills so that they can successfully participate in that work. Writing is intellectual work, and the demands of writing within the university community include the need:

to synthesize and analyze multiple points of view;

to articulate and support one's own position regarding various issues; and

to adjust writing to multiple audiences, purposes, and conventions.

REQUIRED TEXTS/SUPPLIES:

• Everything's an Argument. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz
• Additional readings required by instructor.
• Student-provided readings for whole class.
• Guide to Composition. Located at: http://www.asu.edu/clas/english/composition/theguidetocomposition.html
• University Policies: Student Academic Integrity, Sexual Harassment, Class Disruption, and Student Code of Conduct. Located at: http://www.asu.edu/vpsa/studentlife/
• 2 new 3 1/2" disks
• An ASURITE account or personal e-mail account
• Subscription to and participation in the course online Web Board
• Stapler and staples (standard size -- trust me on this one)

• A college-level dictionary

Attendance and Participation:
Because so much of your learning will take place in class, you must attend on a regular basis to receive credit for this course. If you miss more than TWO (2) class meetings, you cannot pass this course. This is a Writing Programs policy and is non-negotiable. This means that there is no such thing as an "excused" absence. There are only `absences.' "Attendance" means being present, on time, awake,  and prepared for the entire class period. A student who is chronically late to class, leaves early, sleeps through class, or is not prepared to participate in the day's class work will not receive attendance and participation credit. Further, I will cancel classes at least once this summer to hold mandatory conferences with you. If you miss a conference, you will be counted absent for the same number of classes that were canceled in order to hold conferences. (For instance, if we cancel class for two days  to hold conferences, and you miss your conference, that "counts" as two absences.) Beyond this policy, I expect students to make every effort to attend all meetings and to miss class only in rare and unavoidable circumstances. Should you arrive after I have called the roll, it is your responsibility to ensure that I correct the roll at class end.

To accommodate students who participate in university-sanctioned activities, the Writing Programs Office offers sections of this course at various times of the day and week. We have asked advisors across campus to help students enroll in appropriate sections. If you think that this course may conflict with a university-sanctioned activity in which you are involved--athletics, the debate team or another--please see me after class today. Transferring to another section may be the only viable option, but we should discuss it.

Classroom Protocol:
We will spend much of our class time in discussions and workshops. A portion of some classes may also include oral reports and lecture. Also, since this is a "hybrid" course, twice a week we will meet in "virtual time" rather than in the classroom. On those days, you are expected to participate in the assigned activity and to complete whatever task(s) assigned by the designated time. Failure to do so will result in an absence. Regardless of the class format, you are expected to be prepared, to listen, to contribute, and to participate in an appropriate fashion.

Course Work:
You must come to each class prepared to write, to share your drafts with others, and to revise what you have already written.  This means you must work steadily both in class and on your own.  Time management is an important element in writing and, thus, an important concern for you in this course.

All final drafts of essays must be typed or computer printed and double spaced. Place your name, my name, course title, date, and title of the essay at the top of the first page. Be sure to number each page and to staple all the pages together.

Keep all your writing for this course, including in-class and out-of-class working notes, drafts, revisions, final drafts, workshop responses, and journal entries. At the end of the semester, you will review your work to analyze and evaluate your progress. (I require that you to keep a backup disk of all your work. It could be disastrous for you gradewise if you cannot produce evidence of your work at semester's end.)

You will be writing essays this semester that present some sort of an argument and that try to persuade
readers to "see it the writer's way."  To help you better understand what I'm asking you to do, keep this in
mind:  the critical/academic essay

• grapples with ideas and complexities, rather than presenting untheorized information, experiences, details;
• weaves together multiple texts, playing them off one another, working with them, rather than pasting them into a paper;
• is claims-driven -- makes a point/claims; has a purposeful trajectory, though not necessarily presenting a single assertion or argumentative stand;
• may or may not contain personal experience -- the choice is the writer's.

To plagiarize is to present as your own any work that is not exclusively your own and violates the University policy on Academic Integrity. Plagiarism of all or a portion of any assignment will be severely penalized.

This class will also introduce you to several aspects of computer research and pedagogy.  We will frequently be doing class exercises and collaborative work on computer. You do not have to have expertise on the computer to succeed in this class, but you will have to work frequently on computer-aided assignments. If you do not have a computer at home,  you'll want  to visit the ASU computing sites on campus. There are several locations. Although the Computing Commons is the biggest site, it is also the most busiest. So, it's a good idea to explore and visit the smaller sites as
well.

If you're interested in free software or connecting your home computer to ASU's system, please contact the Computing Assistance folks on the second floor of the Computing Commons, or simply dial 965-6500.  They have answers to the most difficult computer questions. These are also the people to call if you would like to get Internet access at a small fee (usually $10-$15). Click here for information about access to various types of software.

Grading:

• Essays  60% (10%, 15%, 35%, respectively)
• Reading Journals, Web Board, Presentations 25%
• Attendance & Participation 15%

The Public Nature of the Class Writing and Discussion:
Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a community of writers. Remember that you will often be expected to share your writing with others. Avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared to subject to public scrutiny or that you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to perspectives other than your own. Moreover, because students do not `elect' to take 102, I consider you all a captive audience for each other's speech, and hence, do not permit speakers to verbally assault each other in this classroom. This does not mean that you are not  entitled to an opinion but that you adopt positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effects on others, that you take responsibility for your words and for engagement with the words of others.

PROBLEM SOLVING:
All of us struggle with our limits, and I sometimes suspect that no one is more conscious of that than students in their first-year university experience. Keep in mind, as you set your priorities, that I am very moved by students who visibly struggle with their limits. Even when they lose.

I encourage you to also see me during office hours, e-mail me, or make an appointment anytime you wish to discuss issues connected with this class and/or your performance. Students frequently tell me that the most helpful feature of the class was coming to my office and discussing their writing projects and/or classroom concerns.

Please discuss concerns with me while we still have options. I tend to be generous with students who take the initiative to consult with me about concerns while they are still `situations,' i.e., not-yet-crises, and a bit testy with those who permit things to slide until a crisis is unavoidable. If anything arises about which you want an opinion or advice other than mine, please contact the Writing Programs Associate Director at 480/965-3853 or in LL309A.

And remember: You are accountable for all University, Departmental, and Writing Programs policies, whether you have read them or not!